The Power of the Front Page!

I am no longer a front page virgin and I am beginning to understand the power being on the front page of etsy brings! This Treasury East I created on May 28th, called Plastic Explosives, appeared on etsy's front page on June 3rd for an hour? two? I don't know...I didn't actually get a chance to see it, although several sellers whose items I had featured, were kind enough (and grateful enough) to let me know.

When I checked my "stats" this morning, 6 of the 12 (that's 50%) featured items had sold, the treasury had close to 300 views and there were several new visitors to my shop and a few new hearts as well. I love creating treasuries...it's like curating an art exhibit for a design museum or creating a window display for a brick and mortar store. I have made several new "etsy" friends through treasuries, found some sellers whose work I love and received discounts and blog mentions from sellers I featured.

I just wish I could figure out why THIS treasury was different from all the others I've made. Why did THIS one make it to the front page?

Spotlight on ~ Made By Hand By Me ~

Well, it seems as if another website offers you the opportunity to highlight your own small collections of handmade things. Made By Me By Me allows you to choose 9 items (from etsy and some other sellers) to "Spotlight" on their website. Once you set up an account, you can create as many of these spotlights as you want on the spot. You do not have to wait until the dreaded list falls below 333 (like on etsy)! see my last post

It is only the photos of the items that appear, not the titles or prices or artist names, but if you click on the photo you are directed to the selling page for that item. I don't think these Spotlights expire and people can view them, leave comments and even rate them from 1 - 5 stars.

My first spotlight is called Vintage Redux. I tried to find etsy artists who recycle vintage materials into their work, like I do. I had no trouble filling the nine spots with great items by talented artisans! And they have a great logo!

I've been viewing other spotlights and it seems as if some people are using them to show off their own work only. I did sneak one of my necklaces into mine. Apparently, Made By Hand By Me does not discourage this practice (unlike etsy). I hope this a venue that will actually bring together buyers and sellers. It is fairly new and time will tell. The other great thing is, after you create a Spotlight, news about it is automatically Twittered for you. And there are ways to submit it to other social networking sites.

For those of us who love curating our own small online galleries, this website is fun!